Unleash Your Dog's Inner Genius with These Top 5 Enrichment Toys
Dogs are intelligent animals that need just as much mental stimulation as physical exercise. When they are not engaged cognitively, it can lead to boredom, frustration, and even destructive behavior.
This is especially true when they are stuck at home with limited interaction with others. One solution is to keep your dog healthy, happy, and engaged with enrichment toys and activities.
Enrichment toys empower your dog to embrace innate behaviors like nose work, chasing, chewing, and playing. These interactive toys challenge your dog and spice up their life with various activities.
Word of Caution
Before choosing an enrichment toy or activity, make sure it’s suitable for your pup. It’s important to consider age, breed, ability, and personality. For instance, if your dog is a super chewer, you won’t want a toy with small breakable pieces.
It’s always best to slowly introduce your dog to enrichment toys under supervision. It may also be helpful to consult with your veterinarian or dog trainer for specific recommendations.
DIY Enrichment Toys & Activities
There are plenty of enrichment toys on the market, but with some creativity, you can start with inexpensive items you likely already have at home.
Here are some of my favorites that will help stimulate your dog:
Treat “Burrito” Towel
1) Lay towel flat on the ground
2) Sprinkle small treats or food on top
3) Choose a level below…
Easy: fold towel a few time
Moderate: roll up the towel from the short side
Hard: roll up the towel from the long side and then tie it in knots
Safety tip: Make sure the fabric is clean, free of scents, and that your dog doesn’t ingest it.
Scent Work
Hide and Seek: put your dog in another room, hide a treat, then allow them to find it.
Pick a Hand: put hands behind your back, put treats into one hand, and then let your dog sniff them to determine which one has the goodies. This is a great way to teach impulse control if you wait for your dog to nose or paw a hand before revealing the treat.
Cups Game: grab three solo cups, put treats in one, move them around, and have your dog pick the cup with goodies.
Training
A quick 5 to 10-minute training session can do wonders for your dog’s mental health. I integrate training into our daily lives and often ask Ellie to help with grabbing the remote, cleaning up toys, carrying mail, or even throwing away items in the trash.
Quick tip!
I do not leave Ellie’s enrichment toys out. I tuck them away so they build excitement next time they come out again, almost as if it were a brand new toy.
Our Top 5 Favorite Dog Enrichment Toys
1) Kong Classic
Kongs are one of the easiest ways to keep your dog entertained with minimal effort. All you have to do is fill it up with treats in the evening, add peanut butter and let it freeze overnight.
2) Snuffle Mat
Pupford snuffle mats are fun to use, easy to clean, and perfect for mental and physical exercise. Plus, this is an excellent method to slow down dogs who eat too fast.
3) Hide-a-Squirrel Puzzle
This plush puzzle encourages positive play and taps into your dog’s natural hunting instincts. It’s gentle on your dog’s teeth and gums but probably not ideal for super chewers.
5) Outward Hound Puzzles
I love that there are four levels of puzzles, so you can adequately challenge your dog. Ellie started with level 1 puzzles and has progressed to levels 3 and 4.
Summary
Enrichment toys and activities are a great way to stimulate your dog mentally and to help increase their happiness.
You can take a DIY approach or purchase enrichment toys.
Supervise your dog initially and slowly increase the complexity of your enrichment activities.
Shop our favorite enrichment toys here
